I was raised by strong Bahamian women who collectively lightened the load of being born to teenage parents. To my grandmothers, I credit my passion for education and civic responsibility because they challenged me to disrupt the conveyor belt effect of settling for ordinary, and to cast a light rather than be the reflection.
In my formative years, I was inquisitive, fearless, and opinionated. Once I discovered my potential through education, I honed my talents of writing and public speaking and won several speech and essay competitions with the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Competition 2010 as a highlight of my high school years. My commitment to improving the landscape of my country inspired me to obtain a B. Ed in Secondary Education English Language and English Literature from The University of The Bahamas. For seven years I have taught at non-profit organizations and in the educational system of The Bahamas. Additionally, I coached and mentored over 400 student leaders and orators for speech and debate competitions, and provided free English Language national examination preparatory classes. I developed a passion within the public system for working with students with low literacy levels. Later, I was appointed the Adult Mentor for the U. S. Embassy Youth Ambassadors of The Bahamas Programme 2018. In this capacity, I led an initiative to reduce the use of single use plastic bags in The Bahamas in accordance with SDG 8. I collaborated with Lend A Hand Bahamas, a non-profit organization, and assisted a subsequent initiative which empowered women in that at-risk community through a sewing programme. The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated social breakdowns, e-learning gaps and the disconnect between pedagogy and technology in The Bahamas. In light of this, I aspire to offer innovative teaching and learning techniques to our 21st century learners. Upon the completion of my MA Education (Innovation in Learning and Teaching) programme, I hope to sharpen my pedagogy to work on providing quality education to the masses. One day I will create cutting edge policies that will provide equity, revamp our curricula by re-imagining the educational system through the use of technology to liberate more than the academically inclined. My mission is to expand the scope of educational development programs to invest more in teachers and hold parents accountable for their children’s development. It is paramount that policymakers, teachers and parents work in tandem to empower our future generations through transformative education.
Bahamas 